The first set of our Hardware Highlights grouping is called Control the Door and contains six BHMA Standards that are grouped together to coincide with the educational programs of the Door and Hardware Institute (DHI) organization. “Control the Door”, like it sounds, covers the array of hardware that control the opening and closing of a door, depending on the application. Controlling the door can be vital for fire rated openings as well as security. The titles, along with their respective Hardware Highlights, provide a basic description of the type of “control”.

Let’s break down the steps BHMA takes when developing new standards.

BHMA will be featuring Hardware Highlights in a year-long campaign with the goal of increasing awareness of BHMA standards, both individually and as a whole. A Hardware Highlight will be shared weekly on social media along with a series of eight blogs that will be scheduled over the course of 2023. These Hardware Highlights blogs will be grouped by topics including Control the Door, Hang the Door, Lock the Door – Residential, Mechanical, and Electrical, Trim the Door and Door Assembly. We’ll provide insights on the who, what, where, when and why of each standard group. We’re hoping every follower will learn new information and gain insight on the significance of each group of standards

To help educate and inform stakeholders about changes related to doors and hardware, BHMA has developed a report called Codes in Context.  The first edition addresses changes made to the 2021 International Building Code (IBC). Accompanying the Codes in Context report are Focus documents providing more detail on each of the topics. There are nine such documents as part of this first report.

The International Code Council (ICC) is in the midst of considering proposed revisions for the 2024 editions of the International Building Code (IBC), the International Fire Code (IFC), and other I-Codes. It’s a lengthy process, but BHMA members and staff, particularly the Codes, Government, & Industry Affairs (CGIA) Committee, are actively participating every step of the way.

The transfer of over 13,000 certified product listings from self-prepared PDFs to a digital, searchable database has been completed. We now have a state-of-the-art BHMA Certified Products Directory (CPD) for manufacturers to list and for professionals to find certified builders hardware.

The Marketing Communications Committee supports BHMA’s mission by promoting our messaging and communicating key activities within the association and positioning BHMA as the industry leader.  We also educate and inform the industry and related channels about public safety and building security, to increase awareness of the BHMA standards and the Certified Products Directory (CPD), and to proactively share information about our work in code development.

The Codes, Government and Industry Affairs (CGIA) Committee started as a codes task force convened after 9/11 to focus on deficiencies in code enforcement regarding exit doors. At the time, there was no mechanism to ensure that a door was still as code-compliant 1, 10 or 50 years after the day it received its Certificate of Occupancy. Annual inspections, or some other oversight protocol, such as something matching the fire extinguisher certification, was in order.

BHMA® members comprise of over 80% of United States builders hardware manufacturers, thus producing a vast majority of the builders hardware used in commercial and institutional buildings. Currently, BHMA® has authored over 40 standards for builders hardware – including two in the residential sector. The association remains a leader for industry guidance and criteria with the sponsorship of ANSI/BHMA® certification programs to help assure the life safety and security for the industry and for homeowners. However, BHMA®’s standards initiatives began over a decade after its founding. BHMA® has an industrial history that shifted over time.  

The 1960s were a time of change for the building industry and for BHMA:  The organization changed its name from the Hardware Manufacturers’ Statistical Association (HMSA) to the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) and changed its mission from focusing on statistical reporting to developing standards for builders hardware.